Cruel To Be Kind
by TheVioletHill
Summary: It's so amazing how you came into my life.. I know it seems all hope is gone/I know you feel you can't be strong but once again the story ends with you and I ...A Tulie Fanfiction...
1. Tim Riggins, Tim Taylor?

_Hey everyone,_

_Here's the first fan fiction I've ever written. I know it's far from being perfect. I'd really appreciate it if you could write a quick review. I hope you enjoy the first chapter and won't condemn the story too fast. Feel free to give me your critics; I'm really just a newbie at this._

_I look forward to hearing from you and thank you in advance for taking time to read the beginning of my story._

_P.S. English is not my mother tongue (French is), so if you find some obvious mistakes, please correct me._

_Thanks and ENJOY! :D_

**Chapter 1:**

Tim Riggins never thought things through before acting. On the contrary, most of the time, he would act based on his most natural instincts. He was never very self-conscious either. He acted like an animal most of the time, roughly and without even considering the consequences. Well at least that's how he explained his attitude towards Julie two hours earlier. That was the only explanation he could possibly find. Yes, he had definitely been an animal…a wild and self-centered one.

* * *

The whole thing had started five months earlier, as he found himself living with the Taylors. He would never have thought he'd actually feel comfortable in their home. He always saw them as the happy, perfect little family, like the ones you often see in the commercials for cereals. He would never have guessed that they actually had real problems. Once he discovered the human part of them, he started to feel at ease, like he fit with them. He liked spending time with coach a lot. The two of them would just sit together watching some game tapes and Tim would eventually star giving Eric advice about the tactics they should use, even though he knew the man did definitely not like being given advice by one of his players.

He even got to know Tami better. He now knew she was the center piece that made the Taylor family so special. Before seeing the admirable woman she actually was, Tim had thought of her as Eric Taylor's wife and nothing more. He had imagined her shallow even, speaking when she was authorized to and only to paraphrase her husband, like she had no opinion. Now that he got to see her on a daily basis, he saw the influence she actually had on people. She was smart and charismatic. She was also the only one he ever saw stand up to his coach and even win arguments against him. Eric Taylor would just lean his head down and accept that his wife was right. It was very entertaining to see those arguments between them, when the coach he respected so much would just give up, admit he was wrong and subordinate to Tami's opinion.

His stay in the Taylor family had been very benefic to Tim and he knew it. He had found himself astonished to realize that there were other things to do after school other than watch TV and drink beer. He had never thought himself the kind to spend evenings in "family", playing games until he discovered, with the Taylors, how nice it felt to do these cheesy little things. Spending time playing Monopoly or chess now definitely seemed underrated to him.

After a week with them, he got used to everyone's presence and personality except for Julie's. He could just not figure that girl out. He first thought she was too spoiled but soon realized that was definitely not the case. It was quite the contrary actually. Her parents gave her attention only when they had to. Tami explained to him that Julie was going through her adolescent crisis and all she wanted was to get all her anger out. That's why both her parents had decided to ignore her bad behavior and let her realize, by herself, how stupid she was acting.

When Tami told him that, Tim saw how hurt she was to be forced to keep away from her daughter; give her space. Because of it, Tim actually started to dislike the girl. He was mad at her, judging her without even knowing her properly. He couldn't help it: Julie Taylor had a wonderful family that cared about her and all she could do was be a spoiled little brat. Rather than getting rude with her, like he wanted to, every time Julie exasperated him with her attitude, he decided it was better to just ignore her. It was not hard since she never even cared to acknowledge his presence.

The only words they had shared the first week were enough to persuade her, if she wasn't already sure of that, to never speak to Tim again. They were all having a nice dinner on a Thursday evening as Tim found himself annoyed, like never before, by the arrogant superiority and impoliteness she was showing. It was as if she wasn't with them at all. She was ignoring their existence with such persistency that it resulted in a complete destruction of the quiet family reunion. Seeing Eric and Tami leave the table, preoccupied for their daughter, was enough to make him react. Alone in the kitchen, on table cleaning duty, he had thought of the options he disposed of to make her realize how immature she was. Obviously, he wasn't planning to use any of them but, just knowing he could, made him feel better.

Once Eric, Tami and little Gracie left to visit a friend of Tami's who'd just moved into town, Tim found himself alone in the living room, watching a game on TV. He was finally relaxed, forgetting all about Julie when he suddenly heard loud music come from her room. First, he decided to ignore it, like he did with everything that bothered him about Julie. Then, not resisting the desire to provoke her, without even realizing what he was doing, he headed towards her room. His face was all red, his thoughts a ticking bomb, ready to explode.

Without thinking it through, he entered her room, determined to win the fight. No longer able to control himself, he shouted as loud as he could, so that it was, for once, impossible for her to ignore him; "COULD YOU PLEASE TURN THE MUSIC OFF?!!!" As soon as he said those words, he regretted it. Before getting in, in his mind, he'd been prepared to win the invisible argument between them, ready to make her surrender; glad she would finally give him some attention. Instead what he found in the large, pink room, was Julie Taylor, head on her knees, crying like someone being tortured. The image of the blonde, childish, haughty girl was suddenly replaced by a fragile, confused and obviously scared person he had never seen before.

Just after the horrified face she'd shown as he entered her room without notice, she seemed embarrassed, drying her wet eyes, unwilling to meet his gaze. The fight he was so eager to win no longer had its importance. Tim was astonished, unusually uncomfortable, having no idea what to do. His confusion was quickly broken by Julie who stood up, turned the radio off and said, still without daring to look at him: "I'm sorry, won't happen again."

The second after, an even more shocked Tim left the room, closing the door behind him. I'm such a coward; he'd thought once he was outside. He could, at least, have apologized. Instead he'd just left, more preoccupied with his own comfort than with helping the obviously desperate and in serious need of comfort girl.

Two weeks after the incident, everything was back to "normal". No one ever mentioned what had happened that evening. One thing was sure; even though they would never admit it, one thing had changed; they could no longer dared to look at each other.

* * *

Even though he didn't feel he deserved it, the Taylors were now treating Tim like he was part of the family. Although it was temporary, no one acted like it, probably avoiding to make him feel uncomfortable, except for Julie who, he could understand, kept ignoring him. Things didn't have time to get weird between them, as she barely ever got out of her room. She spent her time locked inside the pink space, listening to music. Tim now knew there was a huge possibility every time he heard Radiohead or Coldplay come out of the room, Julie would be inside, crying. He couldn't help feeling curious about the reason for so many tears. Sometimes, he could swear he heard her cry at night, too. Since there wasn't anything he could actually do about it, he presumed it was just a phase. Like Julie's parents, he decided to wait for it to pass.

Another two weeks after, Tim noticed the change in Julie. She spent less time in her room, trying to stay with her family more. Even though she still only casually interacted with her parents, he could feel there was improvement in her mood. While they were watching _Forrest Gump_ together, for instance, she even laughed, sincerely amused by what she was seeing.

Tim's living with the Taylor family had progressed too, into something more solid. He now had his own weekly routine. His typical day started with breakfast. Since none of them, especially not Tim, were early risers, they would just sit in silence, eating together. Then he would go to school, have practice and come back spend the evenings with the Taylors. Weekends, Tim would go out with the team or spend the night at Street's, drinking and flirting; his old habits didn't take long to come crawling back.

On Sundays, even though he hated it, he went to church. Both Eric and Tami appreciated his being so easy-going. They knew Tim was not used to that kind of education. They were also aware he was not the tough kid with bad reputation he pretended to be. They simply thought of him as a boy who needed guidance, like their Julie. Only with Tim it was easier to interact, probably because he wasn't their son. They could give him advice and feel he actually appreciated it. That was not something possible with their daughter.

Things started to get complicated for Tim after a month and a half with the Taylors. On a Friday afternoon, Tami came to sit by him, making his attention switch from TV to Mrs. Taylor as she started to explain. "Tim, I just wanted to say that I'm very proud of the way you've been dealing with all that happened to you lately. I know it's not easy for you to be here, with us."

She stopped as if she were checking to see whether he wanted to answer, contradict her or simply add something. Seeing that it wasn't the case (Tim was staring at her, unable to understand what could have made her start this conversation), she continued: "When you came, I guessed you would be angry at us for taking you in instead of letting you alone, until Billy comes back. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is I'm really glad you're here with us."

Tim didn't know what to say. He wasn't the best at sharing feelings. "Thank you Mrs. Taylor, I'm happy to be here too." It was all he could say but; at least, it was the truth.

Tami looked at him, hesitating for a while, and then, finally spoke: "Tim, I know this is a lot to ask but do you think you could talk to Julie for me?"

Whoa. He definitely did not see that one coming! Even the idea of confronting Julie again could make him sweat in no time. "Talk to her? About what? No offence, but why do you think she'd actually listen to me?" He said, knowing what he was talking about. Why would she listen to him after what happened?

Tami chuckled: "Tim, Julie and you are so much alike. You could really benefit from one another"

Tim Riggins was startled. That was definitely an affirmation he did not expect. Mostly, he wanted to laugh, assuming, from what he'd seen, that it was completely wrong. There wasn't one single thing he could think of, that they had in common. "I hate to say this to you Mrs. Taylor, but I don't think Julie and I would get along very well."

"Yeah, you're probably right. " Mrs. Taylor said without actual belief in her words." But, that's not what I wanted to talk to you about..See Tim, Julie's had a hard time lately, she broke up with Matt and I feel she is a little depressed. It's been almost two months since she actually went out or dated or even smiled heart fully**. **I'm sure you've noticed how she's absent all the time… She even stopped seeing Tyra, which must feel like the end of the world to her. The two of them were inseparable and now they don't even speak!" Yes, now she was mentioning it, he remembered how he used to see Julie hanging out, laughing with Tyra almost every day.

Breaking his thoughts, Tami continued: "Yesterday, out of the blue, she asks me if she can go to a party tomorrow night. I know Julie's doing a little better, I've noticed it but this whole wanting to go out again is worrying me. Julie hardly ever does things without purpose. If she is going to that party, she has a reason to and I feel it's a bad one." She sighed. " I think she got herself into some sort of trouble and I would really, really appreciate if you could attend that party as well, just to check on her if something goes wrong."

Tim was ill at ease but at the same time, he felt relieved. He would not actually have to talk to Julie, like Tami said at the beginning. Without hesitating, feeling Mrs. Taylor's eyes waiting for him to answer, he just said with false lightness: "Sure, no problem!"

Tami was relieved. It was as if someone took something heavy off of her. It made her entire body relax, letting the blood run through it again. "Oh thank you so much Tim. I really appreciate it!"

"No problem, so where's the party at?"

"It's at this kid's house. You know the boy that was kicked out of the team last spring, the bold one with an earring"

"Jamie Andrews? She's planning to attend one of Jamie Andrews' parties? Oh..oh." Tim said playfully.

Tami was suddenly panic-stricken. Maybe this whole party thing was a lot worse than she actually thought. She should never have given her permission to go! Tim saw the look on her face and immediately felt the urgent need to stop the joke. "Just kidding Mrs. Taylor. Jamie throws a party every year and, _every_ year, it's sort of lame."

Tammi sighed, relieved and throwing a half angry, half amused look at Tim.

"I don't think Julie will be in any kind of trouble except boredom but no problem, I'll go check on her. I was planning to go there with the team anyway." Tim reassured her.

"Thank you Tim, really!"

* * *

On Saturday, everything went back to normal, again. Tami didn't speak about the party, at all, even though Tim felt tension in the air all day long. Every time Julie made one of her short appearances, her parents would get all uncomfortable around her, as if they wanted to tell her something but wouldn't dare. Tim figured they acted that way because they were worried. It was hard for him to imagine someone worrying about a simple party but then again, the Taylors were one of a kind. Apparently, they were all stressed out about it. It was very amusing to see the contrast between a relaxed, almost absent Julie and the two over-agitated adults.

He definitely liked this atmosphere he found in the Taylor home. They were always overwhelmed, giving too much importance to every insignificant piece of happening but he didn't mind that. He thought that was what made them so unordinary.

Mostly, it was nice to see not everyone educated teens with beer and chicks, like Billy. When his brother left for a temporary job outside Dillon, Tim looked at his absence positively. He would miss him, for sure, but, at least, he'd get to live like a grown-up, doing whatever he wanted. At the time, he saw their time spent apart like a gift; he wouldn't have to explain a party at the house or bringing in some girl his brother had already been with. It is very ironical to see that things are never really as one plans them.

A thoughtful Tim was interrupted as Julie finally came out of her room, ready to get going. She was wearing slim blue jeans with a nice black top that accentuated the curves of her body really well. She let her long blond hair down which altogether looked very natural, even though she must have spent hours getting ready. She was wearing completely casual stuff but Tim couldn't get his eyes off of her. It was a different Julie he was seeing, one that seemed fun and happy. He found her very attractive even though he was trying very hard not to show it.

Eric and Tami did not see, in those few seconds, the looks traveling from Tim to Julie and backwards. They were gazing at each other with intensity, for the first time since the incident, none of them wanting to let go, when Julie finally looked away and said: "I'm ready to go. I'll be home by midnight." She wasn't even looking towards her parents as she spoke, too preoccupied by her appearance reflecting in the mirror. Suddenly, Tim was annoyed by her attitude again, forgetting the fragile girl he'd seen crying in her room. She was being rude again, almost arrogant, completely ignoring her worried parents.

"OK, sweetie, have fun!" was all Tami could say. She was apparently very nervous but tried to stay confident, knowing Tim would be there if anything happened.

Eric, on the other side, seemed rather exasperated as he said: "Could you please look over here!?" As a reaction to her father's request, Julie stopped staring at her own reflection and with narrowed, almost furious eyes, looked right at her father. "Julie hun, you know you looking at me like I never feed you ain't gonna change the fact I'm your father. You'll have to stop ignoring me sooner or later."

Julie continued focusing her intense, furious gaze on her father. If a look could hurt, Eric Taylor would most certainly have been wounded by this one. "Fine dad. What. Ever." She accentuated those words as if she knew it would irritate her father a little more.

Coach Taylor was a strong man; he could deal with his daughter. Well actually, it was more his being used to that little routine between them every time she went out that helped him stay calm and focused. In a way, she was like his football team, he had to coach her whether she wanted to or not. "Have a great time. Try to not hurt anyone. "Eric said, full of sarcasm, trying to get on her nerves as much as she did on his.

The result was not quite what he expected as Julie just turned around, as if she were disgusted, and got out in a second. In the end, the one hurting was Eric Taylor, who said with sadness to his loving wife: "You think she'll get over herself soon?" He really missed his old relationship with his daughter; it was starting to get way too heavy on his shoulders. He just bent over and sat down, like a kid who's just been yelled at.

Tami looked hurt too, as if her husband's feelings were directly transmitted to her. "Let's hope so." It was all she could promise since she knew nothing was ever easy with Julie.

Tim felt uncomfortable between the two mortified parents. If he could, he would have brought Julie back, just to make her see the result of her little mood swings…Instead, he excused himself and went to his room, to get ready for Jamie Andrews' party.


	2. Nothing better than party time!

_Here's the second chapter of my story, this time from Julie's point of view. I thought it'd be interesting to mix it up._

_Hope y'all enjoy it!! Review please, say what's on your mind..  
_

_p.s. thank you for the few existing reviews, it's nice to see what I'm writing is actually readable. :D_

* * *

**Chapter 2:**

As Julie left home that night, she felt annoyed, frustrated and furious all at once. She could simply not understand her parents' attitude towards her since she announced she was going out. They had overreacted, more than usually. Her parents thought she wouldn't notice but Julie had seen right through them. She saw how her mother watched each of her movements, as if she were stalking her. Her father on the other hand, tried to look uninterested but she knew he was acting it out. His sarcasm as she was about to leave had confirmed it only too well.

She didn't want to think about them now. It had been too long since she last had fun and she was really looking forward to this party. She wouldn't let them ruin the evening for her. She had not felt this excited since her first date with Matt, months ago. No, her thoughts could not go that way either. She wasn't allowed to think about her ex…it was too painful.

Tim Riggins came into her mind as soon as she managed to push Matt away from it. The guy was really everything she'd thought, no wonder Tyra and Lyla both dumped him. He was really the sort of person who had the ability to annoy her without even doing anything special. Julie did not know whether it was because of his constant air of superiority or maybe because all he did since he came to live with them was pretend being someone he obviously wasn't. Or was it because he dared to look at her as if she were a piece of meat less than ten minutes ago? Who was she fooling?! She disliked Riggins because he'd seen her vulnerable, a mess even. She had never wished anyone to see her like that. When he'd entered her room without even knocking, she wasn't expecting it would be to yell at her, either. She remembered he had made her feel even worse. There was something in the tone with which he'd spoken to her that made her unable to confront him, like she should have.

One thing was sure; she didn't understand the girls in school who would go crazy as soon as he was around. He wasn't even that hot, well, maybe he was, but all his hotness was instantly ruined by his chauvinism and his rude manners. If he'd been a normal, sweet guy, he would have knocked before entering; he would not have seen her crying out loud. In fact, even though she did not want to admit it, what truly bothered her about him, was that he now knew something was wrong with her. She knew Tim Riggins, he had no scruples..he could tell what he had seen to anyone, especially her parents. Then she'd have to confess, explain, and confront her feelings. That, she wanted to avoid more than anything.

Like the other sensitive subject of her thoughts, Julie managed to get Riggins away from her fragile mind, too. Besides, she no longer had time to think, the house in which the party was taking place, was now in front of her. She was there already; Jamie Andrews' house was right before her eyes. Suddenly she was nervous, not willing to go inside anymore. Bad memories were stronger than her willingness to move on with her life. She was about to drive backwards when someone knocked on her window, forcing her to drop her unhealthy thoughts.

It was Tyra. Julie felt relieved, for a second, she thought it could be some scary stranger. "Hey Julie! Are you planning to come out of your car any time soon?" Tyra said with a voice full of enthusiasm, a teasing yet bated smile on her face.

Julie answered with a shy movement of her lips, opened the door and found herself suddenly facing the girl who used to be her best friend. She felt weird, like she wouldn't know what to say to her. A month had passed since they last had one of their "best friend" conversations. Julie knew it was her fault they had slowly drifted apart, which made her feel even less comfortable. "Hey" she answered, barely looking at her "What's up?"

"Oh, nothing, you know me? Just hanging around!" Tyra answered trying to ease the tension present between them. "I'm just glad you're here. I thought you wouldn't come.." She said shyly, worried about Julie's reaction.

"Me too. To be honest, I was a second away from leaving"

"I'm glad you didn't get the chance to. Jules.. I've missed you so much!" Tyra was looking at her with intense eyes, obviously waiting for a response that would lead to reconciliation.

Julie stared at her, not really knowing what to do. She was not brave enough to say that she'd missed her even more, that at night, she sometimes cried herself to sleep, that she truly needed her best friend more than ever. She also wanted to apologize for pushing her away like she did. More than anything, she felt the need to explain to her best friend everything she was going through. It was too early, so instead, she just said: "I missed you too." Then she took a step, coming closer to Tyra who answered with a step forward. They gazed at each other for a while, not daring to movie. Then, most naturally, as if it were the only thing to do, they hugged as a symbol of their renewed friendship. Tears of relief started falling down their cheeks.

"I'm sorry I was such a bitch to you." Julie said with wet eyes. "I know you only wanted to help me."

"Don't even mention it Jules, I've missed you so much I am able to handcuff you right now and never let you go again" Both girls laughed as they pulled away from one another, drying the tears that had felt.

"That's a little extreme, even for you." Julie said with a playful look on her face.

Tyra rolled her eyes, laughed, put a hand around Julie's shoulders and they headed towards the house you could hear loud noise come from. Even though they both knew they'd eventually have to talk about the sudden rupture in their friendship, they decided to not think about it for the time being. Julie was now relaxed, she no longer felt nervous, knowing that even though something went wrong inside, she would have her friend by her side, supporting her.

* * *

As they entered the house, the situation inside was already out of control. Half the people were drunk and the other half seemed to be shooting a porno. Nonetheless, when the word started spreading Julie Taylor was there, all the heads turned towards her. Girls gathered, gossiping about the new arrival. Julie knew that would happen eventually. She hadn't attended any social reunion for over a month. It was only normal people would be surprised to see her again. Plus she was with Tyra, which everyone noticed, too. It was now a known fact the Julie Taylor they all knew was back.

After a few minutes, everything went back to normal; no one even remembered she was there anymore. She could thank Duke Parkinson for that. The moron decided to make a spectacle of himself. He was challenged to drink a barrel of beer alone. Everyone was watching him fill his entire body with cheep beer, eyes full of excitement. She did not miss parties that much after all; Julie thought to herself while gazing at the ridiculously amazed crowd.

"Oh my God, I cannot believe he's actually doing it. Ew! What a loser!" Tyra said, putting a hand over her mouth, as a sign of disgust.

"Yep. Nothing's changed. Boys are still the silliest creatures on earth." Julie's answer was unexpected and so spontaneous that both of them laughed at it.

The show was over. Duke had failed to complete his mission, rushed by a sudden need to release the liquid he'd spent so much time drinking. Everyone went back to their previous activities while the two girls headed towards the balcony to enjoy a drink together.

"So, do you think he's coming tonight?"Julie asked, nervous. She knew she shouldn't have asked but it was always better to know, right?

"Yep, with the team I guess. At least that's what Landry told me." Tyra answered without even having to think about it. They did not need to say his name; both of them knew they were talking about Matt.

Julie felt her entire body shiver. She didn't know if she was ready to see him yet. Their break-up had been very painful. She knew seeing him would bring the bad memories back. Even though she had no feelings for Matt anymore, she knew how much she'd hurt him, how much she was unstable and hurt at the time. She could only hope Matt would be better by now, that he'd have realized she wasn't that worthy of his sufferance. Yep, thinking about it was definitely too hard, she desperately needed to change the subject, Matt was mined territory.

"So you and Landry still together?" She asked, really curious to know the answer. She was already aware of their trying to become a couple but, the two people concerned being Tyra and Landry, she also knew better than assume they were still an item.

"Still?! You mean together _yet_?" She said with a half annoyed, half amused expression. "And no, not yet..I guess Landry is, how should I say this? Complicated oh and while we're at it, immature too."

Julie couldn't answer that one, as Landry arrived behind Tyra's back, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek and answered instead of Julie: "Is that true Colletti?"

"Well yes, it is Landry. You really suck, you know that?" Tyra answered kissing him, this time on the lips. Both smiled again, arms wrapped around each other. They were so absorbed in their embrace that they seemed to have forgotten Julie was even around.

"Oh, Julie! Hey, how're you doing?" Landry finally asked, obviously surprised to see her.

"Great. Thanks." Was all Julie could answer. After all, Landry _was_ Matt's best friend; her uneasiness was destined to appear around him, too.

"So, how's it going? You know, with Riggins around and everything?" Laundry asked regretting it almost instantly as Tyra directed her elbow right in his ribs.

Julie was forced to laugh at this point. Both of them were really cute like that, fighting and flirting at the same time. She had definitely missed seeing them all hormonal around each other.

"Well Riggins is, you know, Riggins. I have to say we don't talk much. We just live under the same roof, that's all, nothing interesting about it." She said, knowing she was hardly believable because of the nervous tone she took to answer Landry's insinuation.

"That's even weirder than I thought!" he answered with skepticism.

Tyra seemed exasperated as she said: "OK Landry, now you can leave!"

"What?? Are you serious? I mean, seriously, you can't kick me out just like that!"

"Yes I can!"

"No, you can't!"

"Fine, I can't but could you go anyway, leave us alone? Please..Pleeeeease??" Landry was under Tyra's charm. He kissed her quickly and went away promising to check back on them later.

As Tyra turned around to face Julie, she saw the mocking expression on her face. "I thought you two weren't together?"

"We're NOT!"She answered, almost insulted.

"Right, OK, if you say so.." Julie chuckled.

"Let's go back inside. I really need another drink. And if you think I didn't see that mocking smile of yours, you are wrong young lady! I just choose to ignore it." Tyra said with a false hurt expression on her face. Julie laughed, loudly this time. So far, she was having a good time. Mostly, it seemed their friendship was intact, even stronger than ever and Julie suddenly felt relieved to know one of her biggest worries had no longer point existing.

Once inside, the two girls continued chatting, with difficulty since they could barely hear themselves speak. It was almost ten o'clock when Landry came back, bleeding out of his nose. Tyra went all panicky about it, asked what happened and freaked out when her "all but boyfriend" told her he had been pushed by some guy for an unknown reason. Landry tried to calm her down, tell her he was fine but she just couldn't resist the temptation to go take revenge on the one who hurt her "almost boyfriend". Laudry, completely embarrassed by the idea of his "girlfriend" defending him, begged her not to.

Compromise was the solution to their problems. Tyra would drop her revenge plans only if he let her take him home. They were so dramatic about a simple nose bleed that it was very hard for Julie not to laugh. Both finally agreed to leave once Tyra asked her friend if it was alright with her. Julie, amused by the situation and their obvious love for each other, said it was fine without hesitating; she wasn't planning on staying much longer either. Tyra apologized for having to leave and promised to call the day after.

That's how Julie found herself alone, not knowing what to do with herself. She was never the kind to mind being by herself but with all those eyes directed towards her, she did feel uneasy. She promised herself she would stay an hour more and then she'd leave. At least, she'd tried to have fun!

She went to the bathroom and stayed there for 10 minutes. It was always 10 minutes less in the middle of the gossiping crowd. As she came back in the living room where the main action took place, she found herself 3 inches away from Matt Sarason. She felt her heart jump up and down, unwilling to stop. She was unable to speak, as was he. They kept staring at each other until he broke the silence" Hey Julie Taylor. How are you?" He said with a harsh voice but looking away, at the crowd, as he so often did when he was uncomfortable.

"I'm fine, thanks. How about you?" She said, with a shaking voice, trying to meet his gaze while he just kept looking away.

"What do you think? Don't I look fine to you?" He asked, this time staring at her, as if she'd offended him.

Julie was destabilized, she couldn't tell whether he was angry or if he just wanted to confuse her. One thing was sure, whichever it was, it definitely worked. Before she could speak, he broke the silence again: "What did you expect? I'd come running to you for a hug?" This time, she knew for sure it was the first alternative. He was mad.

He took her by surprise as she couldn't really understand what he expected her to say. It was as if she had missed something important in order to understand the conversation they were having. "I..I didn't expect anything." She said, hesitating, deceived that things between them were heading that way.

"Good. Great. Cause you see, that's when things happen. Remember when we were _happy_ together and the second after, you broke up with me? Now you'll know how it feels like to have someone messing up with you!" He was yelling at her and she could smell his breath. He was clearly drunk.

She didn't know what to say. His attitude was exactly what she expected to avoid at all costs. "I..I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you.." was the only answer she found, after a few seconds of hesitation..He voice was a whisper, weak and shaking unwillingly.

The boy staring at her didn't get a word she said. He thought she was once again playing with him, ignoring his hurt feelings. "Yeah, you're doing it AGAIN! Could you for once in your life just freaking be honest with me? Ha? Don't I deserve _that_ at least?" Julie couldn't breathe, she slowly started looking at the floor, she didn't want him to see the tears that were now in her eyes.

"HEY!! LOOK AT ME..What?..Is little Julie Taylor afraid to tell the truth? Come on Julie, we all know you were screwing up with me ALL THIS TIME!! Admit it, damn it, LOOK AT ME!" He took her chin with strength, forcing her to look at him. No one noticed what was going on between them; there was way too much noise.

"Matt, you're hurting me.." was all Julie could say. Tears were now falling down her cheeks, she no longer had control over her emotions.

Matt was staring at her, as if he'd seen her for the first time, realizing he went too far. He knew it was because of the drinking but somehow he didn't seem to care. It had been more than a month since he wanted to confront her, tell her what he'd kept inside for so long. Without even thinking about it, he squeezed his fingers harder around her face, obviously hurting her more. Julie was now crying out loud and begging him to release her. The whole thing was getting out of control. Some of the people around started to realize what was going on. They were shocked by the scene, some screaming at Matt to stop. He just ignored them, focused on taking his revenge. Mostly, he wasn't physically able to get his hand away from her face.

It all happened very fast. One second, Matt was completely out of control and the second after, he was being controlled. As Tim Riggins arrived, making Matt release Julie, she couldn't believe it. She just fell on her knees, her hands holding her face where it hurt the most. When she gazed back, she saw Tim Riggins furious, staring at Matt just after punching him in the face in order to make him back off from Julie; "WHAT THE HELL IS THE MATTER WITH YOU? Didn't you hear her asking you to stop??!!" Matt looked at him motionless. He was still mad, if he could, he would have hurt Riggins too. Instead, he just took a step back, suddenly self-conscious. He gazed at Julie with intensity, regretting what he'd done.

"Whatever man, just GO! GO, LEAVE!!" Riggins ordered him. He knew there wasn't anything else to do. Matt was drunk, he didn't really know what he was doing; there was no point in hurting him more, even though he really wanted to. It took him a lot of self-control to stop at one punch in the face. If he had drunk, like he always did, it would have been a lot worse for Matt.

Julie was still on the floor, not quite realizing what just had happened when she felt Tim's hand literally pick her entire body from the floor, as if she were an object. She felt weak. Knowing Tim was there to hold her, just in case, made her feel a little better. Her face was still aching, as if someone was constantly pressing on it. When they left, she knew everyone around her was staring at them, no one daring to speak.

* * *

It was very cold outside. Julie hadn't thought about it when she left the house. She now felt the fresh air collide with her bare skin. It gave her the same feeling as being washed with cold water. It was pleasant in a way, even though she was shivering with cold. Tim's arms around her were a true support even though he said nothing, just leading her outside, keeping her away from the danger. As they arrived at the parking lot, he eventually took his arms away from her shoulders, feeling she was getting stronger.

"Are you alright?" He said with a soft voice, hesitating, as if he was afraid to hurt her again.

"I'm..I'm OK. Thank you.." She answered looking at him with gratefulness, her eyes still full of tears.

"Do you want to sit? You look really shaky."

"No, it's fine. I'm OK. Really, thank you, you didn't have to do that." She said, meaning every word except the part where she was fine. That was very far from the actual truth.

"Of course I had to; he was getting out of control! What the hell did you do for him to react so violently anyway?" Tim said suddenly realizing how much this whole evening had affected him. He was afraid things could get really weird after this evening, with the Taylors, with Julie, even with Matt.

"He didn't mean to. I..I deserved it." She said, almost whispering, tears falling down again. Tim Riggins was blaming her, too, she thought. That made sense; he had defended her only because she was coach Taylor's daughter or maybe because he felt guilty about the little incident..

"Come on, no one deserves _that!_" He affirmed pointing the spots on her face that were now all red. He put his hands on her cheek almost caressing it. She turned her head the other way, avoiding his gaze and touch. They were both uneasy for a while. Feeling his touch on her face had made Julie panic. She wasn't expecting them to have physical contact. His manly, warm hand on her face had made her blush. That's why she had to look away, embarrassed he'd notice it.

A few seconds afterwards, Julie was all panicky again, this time because she did not know how to explain the bruises on her face to her parents. "Does it really look that bad?"She asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence, hoping for a negative answer.

"Well, yeah, it kinda does. Is that really what you're worried about right now? " He waited for an answer that never came. "Come on, your face will be just fine. It won't stay like that for ever." He said, unable to resist rolling his eyes in disbelief.

Julie didn't know how to interpret the expression on his face. "Do you really think I'm that shallow? I'm worried about how to _explain _it, not how to _hide_ it!" She said, furious.

"It's a little red, just say you fell!" He told her, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Yeah right, cause things are always that simple with my parents."She answered, sarcastically.

"When you don't spend your time being so self-absorbed, yeah, they usually are! " He told her, suddenly giving the conversation a direction that had nothing to do with their previous discussion.

"Yeah, cause wanting to avoid worrying your parents is the exact definition of self-absorbed, isn't it?!" This time it was her, who was waiting for a response. Seeing there would be none, as Tim was simply looking at the floor, she said: "Anyway, if you were planning to make me feel even worse about myself, you shouldn't have bothered helping me. I'm a big girl; I would have been just fine."

Now that was the most ridiculous thing he'd heard the evening so far. He couldn't resist saying with anger and a whole lot of sarcasm: "Right. At what point exactly were you _fine_? While screaming or was it rather while I heard you beg him to release you?"

He was right. If he hadn't come, it could have gotten a lot worse. Just like every time she was wrong, she put on her resigned face. "You know what? Let's just drop it. You helped me, thank you. Now we can go back to the non talking part of our relationship!" She told him, suddenly lacking strength again.

"Fine by me but there's no way I'm bringing you home like that. You should try to calm down a little. You're still shaking and I'm pretty sure those are tears in your eyes." He said, trying to sound indifferent.

She hated that he was right. She needed to contradict him, just for the feeling of it. "I'm fine! I'll be fine..Anyway, I came with my car so I guess problem solved."

"Solved for you maybe, but I am not letting you drive like that, all messed up. You won't even be able to see the road with eyes swollen like that." He said knowing there was a huge chance she would get angry about him saying that.

She didn't. She was tired and hurt. She was in no mood for arguing anymore. All she wanted was sleep and forget about everything that had happened. "Fine. Whatever. Can we just go, please?" She said, vulnerable again.

Their eyes met and, for the first time, he saw the sadness in them. What a jerk he'd been, fighting with her when she obviously didn't mean a thing she said. "Ok then, let's go. Here, take my jacket."He said, with a soft voice again.

Before she could even object his arms were around her, putting the jacket on her shoulder. The only answer she gave him was a quick but intense gaze. He knew it was Julie Taylor's way of thanking him.

When they got in the car, the noise of the machine lulled them while he drove slowly until they arrived in front of the Taylor house. Coming in, they guessed her parents would be waiting for them. They were right. When they saw Julie's face and eyes all red, both Eric and Tami were suddenly panic-stricken, imagining the worst scenarios in the world..

* * *

_So, what do you think of the story so far? I'm dying to her your opinion, just to know if it's worth continuig it?! Please review : D_


	3. Could you get angry more often?

**A/N. Just enjoy! Oh and review!!  
**

* * *

**Chapter 3:**

When Tim woke up on Sunday morning, his head was aching. He was used to bad headaches, results of nights spent out, drinking and partying. This one, however, didn't feel the same to him. The pain, for once, was not caused by drinking. It was simply the consequence of the lack of sleep. A long night of explanations had to have some sort of negative repercussion, he thought, knowing this was _it_.

He was lying on his bed, trying to recall everything that happened the day before. He remembered leaving the house to meet with the team. They all went to have a quick drink before heading to Andrews' party. As strange as it may sound, Tim did not have an alcohol drink that evening. He had settled for a simple non alcoholic beer, ignoring the amazed looks his team mates were throwing at him.

If it'd been another Saturday evening, he would have been drunk, like he always was. But it wasn't just another evening out. That night, Tim Riggins had a "mission" he did not want to fail. For once, he didn't want to disappoint anyone, especially not the wonderful woman Tami Taylor was. He considered her trusting-him-enough-to-ask-him-to-protect-Julie a serious request he didn't want to fail.

As they headed to the party, it was already past nine o'clock, which meant he was already partly late for his mission. Knowing that it wasn't _his _fault, for once, made him feel a little less guilty.

Once inside Jamie's house, he was relieved to see nothing was really going on. It was just another party. He looked around to see where Julie was. He finally spotted her as she came from the balcony along with his ex, Tyra. Both girls were just chatting, nothing to get worried about, he thought. Plus she was with Tyra, which meant, they were friends again; he'd thought, remembering what Tami had told him about the status of their friendship. _Good, everything's fine._

He was about to get a drink, finally, when he ran into a group of amazingly loud girls who rolled around him, preventing him from going any further.

"Hey Tim, how ya doin'?" The blonde one asked with a flirtatious smile on her face.

Tim was flattered, smiling back at her. _What the heck! I can get that drink later._"I'm great. How bout' you girls?" He'd asked gazing at each one of the four girls, making his eyes move quickly, judging the bodies in front of him. _The blonde's definitely a bomb. Well, the brunette ain't bad either._

"I'm a little bored, if you know what I mean,," The blondie answered with wide, provoking eyes. _Ouuh, this one wants me bad._ He'd thought, making her move with him in the corner of the room, leaving her two friends disgustedly gazing at them.

"Can I distract you?"He asked, leaning his head towards her until they were 2 inches away from each other."Don't know what do you suggest, Timmy boy?" She chulked, keeping up with the flirting. "Well, there are definitely ways I could help you.." He said, just to keep the conversation going. They both knew what was about to happen, the question was _when. _Suddenly unable to resist their physical desire for each other any longer, they headed, almost running, to a room upstairs. The first one they found was empty, it helped. They undressed very quickly, eager to get it done already.

When he got out of the room, he somewhat regretted sleeping with that blondie. First, he did not even know her name and second, he knew how much better it was when there were actual feelings involved. _Now I could really use a drink… _He thought, realizing how much he missed having an actual girlfriend.

His thoughtful mind was suddenly stopped as he gazed at a crowded room, all gathered in one place. _Fight!_ He'd assumed, trying to advance through the crowd, to get a peek. When he heard Julie yell, he rushed though, pushed people and got in time to stop Matt Sarason.

* * *

Now that he was thinking about the whole scene from a completely different prospective, it seemed to him the whole thing was his fault in a way. If he hadn't slept with that blonde chick, he would have gotten in time to help Julie. Her face would not have been all red and her parents would never have known about it. But then again, he would never have spent the entire night with Julie either..

He did the pros and the cons in his head and finally decided things had not been _that _bad after all. Now, a day after, he could clearly see it, but if someone had asked him the same question when they got into the house, the Taylors madly concerned about their daughter, he would probably have answered differently.

* * *

_Flashback time:_

Coming in, they guessed her parents would be waiting for them. They were right. When they saw Julie's face and eyes all red, both Eric and Tami were suddenly panic-stricken, imagining the worst scenarios in the world..

"What happened to you hun?" Tami asked with concern.

"Who the hell did this to you?" Eric said, not even a second afterwards, with a harsh voice.

Julie took a deep breath and started to explain. "Oh, _this, _it's nothing, really. I fell." She said with an almost amused voice, as if it were a joke. Even Tim was surprised she wasn't crying or something. _Great actress_! He thought at the moment.

"You _fell?_ " Eric repeated.

"Yes, I fell down the stairs." She answered, most naturally, as if it happened to her all the time, almost saying duh!

"You fell down the stairs?" He said, repeating again. "She fell down the stairs." He said one more time, talking to his wife. Tami looked back at him, then at her daughter. She obviously didn't know what to say. _She _believed what Julie was trying to explain.

Tim knew the look on coach's face. _The man obviously knows somethin' else is going on._

"Do I look stupid to you Julie Taylor?" Eric asked, rhetorically.

"You think I'm _lying?_" Julie said, seriously offended. _Great acting. Keep it up!_ Tim thought, hoping she'd manage to convince him because if she didn't, they were both in T.R.O.U.B.L.E.

"You think I'm stupid." Eric said, like he couldn't believe it.

"You think I'm _lying,_ why would I lie?" She asked again, playing the innocent card.

"Gee, let me see. Why d'you lie when you went to the cabin with Matt, or when you snuck out and went to a party with Tyra, or when you said you'd babysit Gracie and ended magically up in a bar with her?"

"It wasn't like that! Is it difficult for you to trust me when I say I simply _fell?_ You know. Happens to people all the time. You walk, you slip and bim, bada, boom, you FALL!"

"Don't give me tone. Don't you dare give _me _your little angry, spoiled brat tone!" He shouted at her.

And then came the silence, very uncomfortable and difficult to persuade to leave. Both father and daughter were staring at each other with angry eyes. None of them wanted to drop the intense gazing. If it were another, lighter situation, it would have been very entertaining to watch, Tim had thought when Tami finally kicked the silence out of the room.

"Y'all need to calm down. Let's try to solve this the civilized way cause I've got a baby next door trying to sleep in this mad house." _The voice of reason has spoken._

"How do you expect me to calm down hun, when we both know she's lying, again." He said with a suddenly calm voice, but eyes still staring heavily at Julie.

"Ok. I see. I'm not saying any of you is right or wrong. I'm just saying we don't need to blow this out of proportion. She just fell, hunny." She said softly. "How else would you explain her red face?" She asked, putting her hand softly on Eric's cheek, making him look at her.

"Right. Ok, ok, I get it." He said, like a moody teenager. "Let's just drop it and let her do whatever the hell she wants, shall we?" He continued, half-angry again.

Tami was about to answer that one when Julie said, making them all look at her again. "I'm not a child anymore. I didn't do anything wrong. If you don't trust me, ask Tim , he was there!" _What the hell?! What would she do that for?_

Tim Riggins felt all his members stiffen. He was hoping to get through with the family gathering and go to sleep. Instead, there he was, having to respond for something that had nothing to do with him. He didn't know what to say. He felt her parents deserved to know the truth. Matt Sarason deserved to have a little conversation with Coach Taylor, too. But then he met Julie intense gaze. She was begging. For once, she wasn't mad at him, she was looking at him with her Bambi, sweet eyes_._ He couldn't resist it. _ Telling the truth is overrated anyway._

"It's true... I was there. There was a fight inside, everyone rushed to get out. She was pushed by the crowd and fell. I tried to help her. There were just too many people. They kept pushing her back down as soon as she tried to stand up. That's really all there is to it." Tim said, surprised to lie so easily to his coach.

Eric was speechless. She was telling the truth, for once, and he couldn't even be patient enough to listen to her. He gathered all the courage left and said to his daughter ."You know I only want the best for you Jules." He paused. "You're just so stubborn sometimes, it makes me go crazy." Julie was staring at him, waiting for the words she so eagerly wanted her father to say. "Alright, alright, don't give me that look. I'm sorry, ok?" He asked with a soft voice again, half-smiling.

"Yeah, I guess that's ok." She said all glowing. _Yeah, thanks to me! _Tim thought to himself, almost jealous _he _wasn't the one to get that happy smile from her.

"Ok, then. We're heading to bed, now that the mystery is solved." Tami said, giving a discreet wink at Tim. "Good night hun, night Tim." She said, leaving a quick kiss on her daughter's forehead. Eric did the same, except it was a hug he gave his daughter, whispering in her ear. "I love you more than anything Jules".

"Me too, daddy."

Eric Taylor went to his room that night, all bright and shiny. She called him_ daddy…_which was the sweetest thing his daughter said to him in ages. It felt even better than winning the State Championship.

* * *

Tim and Julie were suddenly alone in the living room, not knowing what to do with themselves.

"So. I guess I should thank you.." She said shyly.

"Yeah, that won't be enough." He answered playfully.

"What?"

"I kinda saved you tonight, you _owe _me."

"I owe you?" She asked half amused.

"Yep. You. ." He said with a serious face. _Haha, this is funny._

"Ok. What do you want from me? " She asked, not amused anymore but rather confused. She wouldn't have guessed she'd have to express her gratitude towards him other than with a traditional "thank you". She tried to remain calm, but he was getting to her. She was annoyed.

_There we go, she's mad again. That was easy._"I don't want anything, _for now_, but it's good to know I can come to you for a favor anytime." He said, giving her his typical Tim Riggins smile.

Julie was relived. He was playing with her. She liked games, she didn't want it to stop. He'd been making fun of her, she could do the same, only better. "Ok, I can sleep with you, is that all you want?" She said, knowing she had hit hard as his face showed obvious panic.

_What? Wait, what?! Is she serious? _"We can go to my room, you know, get it over with?" She continued with a flirtatious look on her face.

_She is serious! No, no, no, no, no, now what? Come on man, you can do this._ "Julie, I didn't mean you sleeping with me." He said, anxious to see her reaction.

Julie looked at him with a false disappointed look on her face and then couldn't resist it anymore. She burst into an uncontrollable laughter, putting both hands on her mouth, trying to avoid waking her parents up.

"Haha, very funny." He said, bitter.

"If you had seen your face, you would have laughed too. Seriously, you thought I would sleep with you?! Ew." She said, mocking him. It had been a while since she'd laughed that hard. She didn't want it to stop.

"Whatever, I'm used to women wanting me that bad." He said, playful again. He had to admit it, she _got_ him and it _was_ funny.

"Yeah, you can put me off that list." She chuckled.

"I figured" He replied, with narrowed eyes. "You can laugh all you want, you still owe me." He said, pointing his finger towards her before sitting on the couch.

"Right. I owe you, now what?" She wanted him to answer provocatively, so they could go on with the game.

Tim hesitated before answering; "Wanna watch TV?"

"Sure, why not." She answered, naturally. She really _did_ want to stay with him. He was making her laugh and she missed being her old self.

They sat on the couch together, keeping the distance between them, as he started switching channels in order to find something that would suit both of them. _Mission impossible, but let's try it anyway._ He stopped on MTV. _Yeah, everyone likes MTV._

He was about to put the remote on the table, when she said, obviously annoyed: "Put something else, I don't like watching music. I think it ruins all the fun." _Could she be any more annoying?_

"Fine. Whatever." He answered starting the searching procedure once again. He stopped at _Lifetime,_ they were showing some movie with lots of horses. _Chick flick, ok, she'll like that._

"Seriously? You want me to watch a movie with a girl and lots of horses? We all know what's going to happen. She'll learn to ride the most difficult one, win a competition and find true love. Put something else!" She ordered, like a spoiled child, annoyed with his lack of intelligence in finding something to watch.

"You know what, Miss I-have-to-contradict-everything-you-say? Here you go, try to do better." He said with a false angry face. More than anything, he was amused by her mood swings. _You are so stubborn; _ he wanted to say but he knew he wasn't really one to talk.

"Ok. Give me that!" She said with a smile and started searching again. "Oh, I love this movie" She said with amazed eyes she now had fixed on the TV.

They were now both staring at a black and white picture, Julie already focused on the thing as if she were afraid she'd miss something or never see it again.

_What the hell is this? _"What are we watching?" He asked.

Julie turned her head, annoyed. "It's called "Rebecca". It's a Hitchcock movie." She said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Then she went back to her movie, leaving him all confused.

Throughout the movie, Tim's opinion about it changed. First it bothered him it was in black and white. Then he got sucked into the movie a little more until he couldn't take his eyes off of it, trying to discover the secret about the house. Was Rebecca really haunting the place? During a few scenes, Julie looked at Tim amused, just to check the expression on his face. Seeing that he didn't even notice her staring, she knew he loved it, just like her.

None of them felt uncomfortable being in the same room, a few inches away from each other. It seemed to them they'd watched tons of movies together. They were completely relaxed, enjoying the moment. They'd even forgotten the previous events. Julie didn't remember her hurt face. Most importantly, she did not think about her worries anymore. She thought that if the heroine could get rid of the things haunting her life, she could too and it made her feel stronger.

When the final credits showed, both of them started to move, suddenly feeling uneasy.

"So, did you like it?" Julie asked, knowing the answer already.

_You kidding? I loved it! What's there not to love? _"Yeah, was OK." He said instead, wanting her to react as strongly as she always did.

"Ok? Come on, this is one of the best movies ever! What's there not to like?"

"I think the story was kind of predictable."

"What? No way. There is NO WAY you could've predicted the end."

"Yeah but it still ends up well. Just another chick flick." He said, not believing a word he said. He loved to see her angry, all shaky and overwhelmed.

"WHAT? Oh my God. I can't believe you said that. This is _not _just another chick flick. It's a great story, with awesome characters, with a great twist and with amazing acting!" She said, looking at him as if she were worried about his mental state.

_Good. It worked. _"You want the truth?" He asked amused.

Julie was confused. "What? Yeah…"

"It's revenge time. You made me believe you wanted me, I made you believe I hated the movie. Really, I just love to see you angry…" He said, moving his head, so that they were face to face, very close to each other. He was giving her his special smile again.

Julie was breathless. She couldn't move. Before she could say anything, he moved back where he was before and said: "I guess my revenge is fulfilled." He was teasing her again; amused by the shock she was unable to hide.

"You'll pay for that one, don't worry about it." She replied, eyes narrowed, trying hard not to smile.

"How do you know this movie anyway? It's really old. I thought you were still watching the Barbie movies."

"Haha, I used to stay alone a lot, I was bored all the time. I don't like reading much so I watch movies."

"Well this one _is_ pretty awesome."

"I know, I have great taste." she teased.

"You don't do anything like others, do you?" He asked, almost regretting his question. He was afraid she'd close up and change the conversation he was so interested in.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you watch old movies, you spend your time in your room and you listen to really weird music. Not the typical Dillon teenager if you ask me."

"Are you saying I'm a weirdo?" She asked with an amused smile on her face.

_Ok. She's not mad at me, great start. _"No, I'm saying you're special." He was looking at her with intensity which made her blush but did not prevent her from staring back at him. The tension between them was at a maximum level. Their pulses were accelerating.

" I..I'm..I don't know. I'm not that special. I'm just not conventional. I don't like fitting into categories." She said shyly.

_No worries. You don't fit in any except stubborn and moody. _"Yeah, I figured." He said, suddenly realizing how much he'd been wrong about her. She was not childish at all. On the contrary, she was more mature than any girl he'd ever met. "Being different is ok as long as you're happy. You don't seem to be." His voice was soft when he said those words. He didn't want to scare her. His only wish was that she'd open up a little.

"What makes you think that?"

"Well, like I said, you spend a lot of time alone, you're always moody, you seem to hate everyone, you obviously have unresolved problems with your ex, oh and last but not least, I found you crying in your room over very loud music."

He got it all out. Julie was staring at him with narrowed eyes. She couldn't believe he'd bring their incident on, especially since he was to blame for it. "I'm not moody; I have bad days that's all. My problems with Matt are none of your business and _last but not least_ you weren't supposed to see me cryng. I was in _my _room when you got in _without _knocking."

"Why are you avoiding my questions?"

"You didn't ask any!" She said, angry again.

"Why were you crying that day?"

"Not that it's any of your business but, like I said, I was having a bad day." They were still gazing at each other with the same intensity, Tim trying to get to her and Julie furious, with narrowed eyes.

"You have lots of bad days then, I used to hear you cry almost every night."

She was shocked. She never thought someone would hear her! Her eyes were suddenly full of tears as she said: "I don't want to talk about it. Please drop it."

_No, please don't cry Julie! _"Ok, ok. I'm sorry. I won't bother you again" He said, apologetically.

"Thank you."

"No problem."

"No, seriously, thank you, for everything." Her face was relaxed and her voice soft again. She really wanted him to know how grateful she actually was.

"Does it still hurt?" He asked, pointing her face.

She laughed." You do know how to switch subjects, do you?! ….No, I'm fine. I just look like a pumpkin, that's all."

He chuckled." You look more like a Russian doll, to me."

_There we go! Another awkward moment!_ Their eyes couldn't look away from each other as the silence regained its position, in the middle of them. Before doing anything he might regret later, he said: "It's getting late." Indeed, it was almost 3 o'clock when Tim pronounced these words. They had spent almost three hours together and none of them wanted it to stop. Tim Riggins desired to learn more about Julie Taylor while she definitely wouldn't mind spending more time in his company.

"Yeah, we should probably go." She moved from the couch, turned the TV off and followed Tim. Since her room was the closest one, they stopped by her door, whispering: " Good night Julie."

"Night Tim." Even though they said the goodbye word, they remained in front of each other, in silence. Without even thinking it through, Tim Riggins leaned forward and gave her a kiss on one of her red cheeks. She closed her eyes, enjoying the moment.

The second after, he said; "Don't forget you owe me" His beautiful smile was back on his face. He ran a finger through his messed up hair, winked at her and waited until she disappeared in her room, a smile on her face.

* * *

Yep, one thing was certain to Tim Riggins, as he was lying in his bed thinking about the previous night: _Julie Taylor was not going to get away from his mind any time soon._ Washing the thought away from his already boiling head, he rushed to the bathroom to take a shower. Sunday was church day. He had to get mentally and physically ready for it.

* * *

**_I really had lots of fun writing this chapter. I can't wait to see what will happen next between these two. I really hope y'all enjoyed it as much as I did writing it._**

**_Oh by the way, if you didn't get any chance to see "Rebecca" yet, do! It's really an awesomely great movie! XD_**

**_Once again, please review, otherwise I'll just keep writing possibly uninteresting stuff._**

**_I'll try to update soon._**

**_Thanks for reading._**

**_XOXO (lol)_**


	4. Just another Sunday

_Two chapters ahead. Hope you enjoy it! I've put the story into perspective in my mind so it shouldn't take long until the next uptade._

_Again, sorry for my, sometimes, poor English (I'm still learning)._

_Oh before you start reading, I wanna thank everyone that reviewed. Special thanks to **SUNSHINE-M **who took time to answer all my newbie questions. ; )_

_Thanks all of you! _

_ENJOY!_

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Chapter 4:

As she woke up, Julie felt good. She was positive and really looking forward to the day that was ahead. Feeling so nice was a surprise. It had been a long time since she last felt that way. There wasn't anything special to explain it, it just happened. She should have felt like crap, after the Matt interaction and the somewhat tormented discussion with her father. Instead, she felt light and fresh. She knew some of that was due to her hanging out with Tim.

The boy was still a mystery to her but she _did_ have a good time with him. Plus, he did save her ass the day before, so really, how bad could he be? She asked herself as she looked through her wardrobe in search for something decent to wear to church. Usually, she would put something casual, to fit in, but today, she was in the mood for something flashy, a piece of clothing that would show how good she was feeling.

She put on a denim skirt, long enough to be church-wearable, and a pink t-shirt that looked really noticeable when put on with the skirt. Ok, she wasn't really dressed for church but who cared? It was really hot outside; half the people would be naked anyway…

The ride to church was silent. Her parents seemed in a really bad mood, their after-argument mood. She knew it because her father didn't even bother asking her again about the previous night. No one mentioned her face that was still a little red. Both she and Tim felt uncomfortable in the back of the car, as if they were interrupting something between the two adults. They gave each other inquisitive looks, smiling at their own uneasiness about the situation. They had not spoken at all since last night, except for a polite "good morning". Whether the complicity from last night was still there was a mystery.

As they arrived at the parking lot, Tami asked Julie and Tim to look after Gracie while she left with her husband, promising to meet them inside.

"Ok., Sure, no problem." Was Julie's answer as she took Gracie in her arms, followed closely by Tim.

"What's with them?" Tim asked while playing with little Gracie's chubby hands.

"No idea. Looked like a fight."

"Yeah, Coach seemed pissed."

"Happens once or twice a month. They'll get over it." She said, rolling her eyes in frustration.

"Right" He was focusing on Gracie again, making faces at her in order to make her laugh.

Julie felt uncomfortable. He was leaning over Gracie, making the baby's hands move which also made contact with her. His fingers were touching her arms that she had around her sister. "Do you wanna hold her?" She asked amused by the faces he was making.

"Sure" He grabbed her, thrilled, lifting her in the air to make her fly. The baby was obviously enjoying it since the only noise coming out of her was laughter. Gracie couldn't stop giggling as Tim kept lifting her up and down, impersonating the sound of a plane.

Julie was amused as Gracie was not the only one having a blast. Tim couldn't stop smiling either. As soon as Gracie would giggle, he'd laugh too. He was completely under the baby's charm, he was enjoying every moment of their playtime, completely forgetting that Julie was staring at him with a wide smile. She was absorbed by every one of his movements waiting to see when the tough, imperceptible Tim would be back.

As he realized the way she was looking at him, he suddenly felt embarrassed, bringing the baby back in his arms. Julie could swear he was blushing even though his face was too tanned for it to show.

"I think you're officially her favorite teddy-bear." She said, kindly mocking him.

First he looked seriously at her, making her think he was offended and then he said: "Oh, I think someone's jealous.." His answer was playful, accompanied by a wink. He was smiling lightly, amused by her remark.

"Well, she _does _like you better than me. It's kind of frustrating"

"What can I say? No one resists me."

"Right" She chuckled. "Maybe I should leave you two alone, then?"

"Nah..I think my girl Gracie doesn't mind you staying."

Their little teasing game was interrupted as Tim suddenly froze, focusing his gaze on someone behind Julie. She looked around and saw Matt coming near them. She panicked, looking for an answer in Tim's eyes.

"Calm down Jules, I'm here now" He told her, reading the panic in her eyes. Gracie was still in his arms so he couldn't do anything except put a comforting arm around her shoulders. She was shivering, frightened by the thought of Matt hurting her again, he guessed.

Matt Saracen was coming closer every second. He seemed embarrassed. He saw her take a step back as she took sight of him, her face still a little red because of _his _violent treatment. Then he saw Tim Riggins putting an arm on her shoulder, something he wished he could do. Altogether, it made him realize that he'd lost her forever. Julie Taylor would never be his girlfriend or even his friend again.

As he arrived in front of them, he didn't know what to do. Tim was obviously making things even more difficult for him. He was like a wall between him and Julie, making all his apologize process even harder. The fact that she needed protection from him literary scared him, making him feel guiltier by the second.

"H-hey. Julie. Could I, l-like..talk to you for a sec?" He said, hesitating, knowing the answer would probably be negative as she didn't even dare look at him.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Matt." Tim replied instead, quietly, sure of himself. Mostly, Julie was still shivering under his arm, so he knew her answer would be "no".

"It's ok Tim, I should probably talk to him." She said, trying to convince herself at the same time she was trying to convince Tim. Her eyes were intensely looking at him. Even though he was surprised, Tim couldn't do anything except release her and leave with Gracie still in his arms. He would never admit it but he was mad. She should never have accepted; he thought, trying very hard to keep his eyes away from them.

Julie and Matt were now alone, in front of each other. They were both uncomfortable. Julie was looking at the floor while Matt was trying hard to think about something smart to say.

He finally gathered his courage and said with a shivering voice: "Julie, I-I am..I'm sorry Jules, I'm so sorry. I was such a jerk. I don't know what happened. I was so wasted. I can't believe I hurt you.." His eyes were now searching for her gaze. "Julie, please..please look at me?" He was begging, his voice beginning to fade. His eyes were full of tears he wouldn't allow to fall.

She needed to face him sooner or later; she thought before putting his eyes on him for the first time. As their eyes locked, she could see his eyes all red. The Matt she knew, the uncomfortable and clumsy, sensitive Matt, h_er_ Matt was staring at her now and not the drunken, violent guy who was in front of her the day before.

"What happened to you Matt? Yesterday..that wasn't _you_…" She said with a sad voice, really trying to understand.

"I-I know ..I'm sorry if I hurt you. I-I can't believe I did that. It's all I think about. I'm so sorry Julie. I don't know what happened. All I know, is- it's like- I couldn't take my hands off you…I'm so sorry. Believe me, if I could take the whole thing back, I-I'd do it in a second." Julie didn't have an answer to that one. If things could be taken away, she would have done it without hesitation, too; she thought as her eyes started to fill with tears. Seeing him like that was tearing her apart. The last thing she wanted was to see him hurt.

Seeing Julie fixing the floor, Matt lost all his courage. His tears were now silently falling down his cheeks. "What happened to _us_ Jules? Me, I mean my being a jackass, that was just me.. I was drunk, that was me trying to understand… " He said with a broken voice, letting the regrets fall out of his mouth.

Julie gazed back at him. When she saw the tears in his eyes, it made it even more difficult for her not to cry. _She_ knew what had happened to them. They were _Matt & Julie_, the _IT _couple, the QB1 and the coach's daughter, the blonde confident Julie in love with the insecure, sweet Matt. Everyone, including them thought they'd stay together forever. Now they were _Matt & Julie_, two strangers and she knew it was her fault. There wasn't anything that could be done now. She'd changed too much, time had passed. Nothing could be fixed between them anymore.

"I..I don't know what happened Matt…Maybe we weren't meant to be.." She said shamefully, knowing _that_ was not the reason they had split.

"No, we were, _we…_ WE were meant to be Jules, you and me."

"It's over Matt"

"Don't say that, please Julie, don't." His voice was barely audible. "I miss you Julie. I miss _us_. I miss hanging out with you. I miss your smile, I miss the way you laugh..When I wake up, you're the first person I want to see! Remember how we used to talk for, like hours…? What happened? You and me, we were good for each other…" His voice was now louder, accentuating every word. He did not know what to expect from her. He just needed to tell her how he felt. He hoped deep inside it would convince her he was still _her_ Matt, still the same guy, madly in love with her; that his overreaction was caused by the fact she'd broken what they had without explanation. He wanted to tell her all of it but somehow the words couldn't come out.

"I'm sorry Matt" was all she said. She really w_as_ sorry. That's the only thing she was certain of. She was sorry their relationship had come to _this_.. There was no Matt & Julie anymore, they were over.

"I-I know, me too.." He answered but she was already gone, leaving him alone. Confusion, anger, disappointment, sadness were the feelings mixed up in his mind as he leaned his head down, defeated.

* * *

Tim was waiting for them to finish their conversation. Well waiting was an understatement. He was rather _hoping_ for them to end what seemed to be a quiet discussion as soon as possible. There was a little devil on his shoulder telling him to go get Julie but he resisted. He knew both of them had history together, they deserved some privacy even though Matt had acted like a jerk.

At least Gracie Bell was with him... She was putting her little fingers all around his face, making him realize a baby needed a lot more attention than he'd ever thought. Even if he'd wanted to, he couldn't focus on Julie and Matt.

As Gracie was trying very hard to get her hands through Tim's hair, being stopped repetitively by a somewhat frustrated Tim, Julie suddenly appeared, erasing the few tears that were on her cheeks.

"You alright?" Tim asked, seeing she had cried.

"I'm fine, thanks." Julie answered, giving him a quick smile but avoiding his gaze as much as possible. "We should probably get inside, we're already late" She said, remembering what they'd come for in the first place and refusing to talk about her immediate feelings.

"Ok. Sure." He didn't want to push her into saying things she obviously wanted to keep to herself. On the other hand, it really annoyed him to not be able to see through her. He would have liked to help her but seeing how bad he was with talking about feelings, he decided to keep his distances.

When they entered the church, everyone around them looked their way, giving them the annoyed glance. Tami and Eric were already inside. Mrs. Taylor asked what took them so long, taking Gracie Bell in her arms. Tim was about to answer when Eric told them both to shut up as they were obviously bothering everyone around.

* * *

After church, they'd driven home, in silence, once again. As they entered the house, Julie immediately excused herself and went to her room. She needed time alone. The day had not been what she thought it would. She wasn't in a positive attitude anymore. She changed her clothes again, to suit the new mood she was in better. She chose a large black t-shirt and a pair of wide Adidas trousers. It fit perfectly with the state of her mind: black for depression and wide because she was hiding.

"Julie hun, your dad and I are going out. We're meeting some friends for dinner. " Tami said hours later, waking her up from her dark thoughts.

"Are you alright hun?" She asked, coming to sit next to Julie. She was concerned by the blankness in her daughter's eyes.

"Oh. Yeah, I'm fine, mom. What were you saying?"

"We're going out. Gracie'll be with us. Are you sure everything is ok sweetie?"

"Why? No, everything's fine…"

"Jules, what's wrong? You know you can tell me anything, right?"

"I know mom"

"If you want me, I can cancel my evening out Jules. We could send your father and Tim away and spend time just the two of us. We could watch a chick flick, eat some ice cream and talk…"Tami said hopeful her daughter would say yes. She really missed spending time with her.

"Nah, it's ok mom, thanks" Julie replied, giving her mom a hug. She was grateful for the efforts her mother was making to make her feel better. The fact she was willing to cancel her plans was already a great gesture. She did not need more. Knowing her mother was there for her was already a huge comfort.

"You sure? Cause I'd be glad to have a girls night with you hun. With Tim in the house, there are way too much male hormones in here" She joked, trying to hide the disappointment Julie's negative answer had brought to her.

Julie laughed at her mother's "joke" and said, trying to sound more convincing this time: "It's ok, mom, really."

"Then I'll see you later hun." She said, leaving a kiss on her daughter's forehead. Before she closed the door behind her, she peeked a head back in the room and whispered" Oh, I forgot to tell you, Jules, Tim's making dinner right now, for you two. You should come see this." She chuckled. Obviously Tim's cooking was funny.

Seeing the amused smile on her mother's face, Julie was intrigued. "What? Tim Riggins is _cooking?"_ She asked, amazed by the idea. "He can cook?" She asked again, this time with a wide smile spread across her face and illuminated eyes.

"Well, he's trying.." She said, still whispering. "Don't mock him, hun. He wanted to do something nice. He's really adorable, all clumsy and uncomfortable trying to deal with the chicken... "

"Tami, how long are you planning to make us wait like this?" Eric shouted from the living room. He was waiting impatiently for them to leave, with an overexcited Gracie in her arms.

"I should go, see you soon Jules. You'll tell me how the dinner was" She said, giving her a malicious wink and left with a smile on her face.

Julie was still in her room._ Tim is cooking!_ The thought brought a smile back on her face. She had to see this by herself. She got up, left her room and headed towards the kitchen, looking forward to see Tim's attempt to make dinner. Maybe this would make her day less depressing!

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_Go ahead..there's another one waiting for you...._

_Oh if I say please...would you? Please, would you review? : D_


	5. You live you learn, you cook you learn

Chapter 5:

Watching Tim cook was funnier than she'd ever thought.

He was a mess. It was obviously one of the first times he was trying to make a grilled chicken. In his mind, putting some salt on it before leaving it in the oven was enough. When Tami had quickly explained him the process of making good chicken, he'd found himself confused. But he was Tim freakin' Riggins. No chicken would resist him!

Even though he made Tami's kitchen look like it was never cleaned before, he stayed focused. His eyes were fixed on the chicken in front of him, as if he were trying to make it obey. _Step by step.._he'd thought. It gave him courage. He had put himself in that mess all alone, he would get out of it proud and successful.

Julie came and sat in front of him, on one of the high kitchen chairs, looking at him with mocking eyes, trying hard not to laugh. First, he was too focused to even see her but as she pulled the chair to herself, he'd seen her smiling maliciously at him.

He was annoyed; she was making fun of him! He narrowed his eyes on her and sighed: "Does Miss Taylor have something to say?"

"Nop." She chuckled.

"Are you making fun of me, Julie Taylor?"

" Who, me? Never" She said with false innocence in her voice.

"Cause if you are, no chicken for you!" He said playfully, pointing his index at her.

"Ok, ok. I'll behave. So, Tim what _are_ you doing anyway?" She asked, sincerely interested in knowing why he was putting vinegar on the chicken.

" Oh. Shit." Slipped from his mouth as he realized he was putting vinegar on the chicken instead of olive oil. _Salad ingredients on the left, chicken ingredients on the right! Focus Tim, focus!_

"Great. Now we won't eat anything." He said, disappointed. He had spent the last 20 minutes preparing the chicken only to mess it all up.

Julie was laughing.

"Don't laugh at me. There's nothing funny!" He ordered her. She stopped for a second, gazed at him, trying to find out if he was serious. The second after, Tim burst into a laughter as well, realizing the hilarity of his mistake. _What kind of idiot mixes vinegar with oil? _

They were sweetly laughing together. As soon as their eyes would cross, they would laugh even harder.

When their laughter turned into a giggle, he said: "Ok. Seriously, what are we gonna eat now?"

"We could still wash the chicken." She said, serious.

"Funny. What are you in the mood for? Pizza or maybe….PIZZA?" He said with a wink.

"I'm serious. We're not going to throw that chicken. "

"You seriously want to _wash_ the chicken?"

"Well, yeah, with some detergent, the vinegar'll go away."

He was watching her as if she were a Martian. _Detergent? Hah?_

"Relax, it's a joke Tim. Oh, you should see your face right now." She giggled.

"You _are_ very funny to be around, you know that?"

"Yeah, I've been told" She replied with a wide smile on her face.

They were both silent for a while, studying their expressions. It was not an awkward moment but rather one where they didn't know what else to say. They just kept smiling at each other.

"Well, we _could_ save the chicken.." She said with raised eyebrows as if she were giving him a choice.

"How, there's vinegar all over it."

"Well, let me take care of the chicken, you take care of the salad?"

"That would make you the savior of my dinner."

"I _do_ owe you, remember? It'll make us equals again.." She smiled.

"No, no, no, no, no..I'll let you save dinner but you _still_ owe me"

"How's that fair?" She said with her hands on her thighs, falsely offended.

"Simple. I saved your life. You're doing this because you wanna eat. See where I'm going?"

"Ok. So me, saving the chicken is _selfish_?"

"No. But your life is worth a lot more than some chicken's."

"So, unless I save your life some day, I'll owe you forever."

"Great, you got it…._slave_." He teased, smiling.

"Whatever." She said before rolling her eyes, teasing back. "Let's just get the dinner ready. Well the chicken, cause I'm not sure you know how to make a proper salad."

"It can't be worse than vinegar chicken." He said, defeated.

For half an hour, there were no more words exchanged. Julie was on her side, doing her part of the deal while Tim was on the other one, slicing ingredients for the salad. They did give each other quick glances, checking what the other one was doing. It was like a game to them. They were both enjoying their time spent together, even though they weren't technically speaking. The only words they exchanged were for "business" purposes. They would ask each other the condiments they needed that were on the other's half of the kitchen.

Tim was the first one to finish. He sat on the chair and watched Julie finish preparing the meal. There was something in her way of touching the chicken that made him hypnotized by each of her movements. Even with her dirty hands, there was something gracious about her. It made her more feminine in a way. She looked like a woman and no longer like a little girl to him.

Julie was so focused she didn't even notice him studying her body language.

When she finally put the chicken in the oven, she was proud of herself. Making dinner wasn't that easy. She had seen her mother do it for years but only now did she understand all the energy it implied.

She raised her hands as a sign of victory, with a huge smile on her face. "I did it!"

Tim was amused by the look on her face. _Sweet.._ "Yeah, I can see that. Congrats."

"Thanks. It'll be a while before it's ready, wanna watch some TV?"

"Sure." He followed her to the couch.

Once again they was a distance between them, they didn't dare sit closer.

She switched the channels until she stopped on a sports channel. There was a game. She put the remote on the table and took a comfortable position on the couch. She had her legs under her chin, resting her head on her knees, with her arms around them.

Tim was surprised. He knew Julie wasn't fond of football. He had noticed her rolling eyes every time they were discussing it.

"We could watch something else, you know. I know football is torture for you."

"No, it's fine. You watched "Rebecca" with me. Besides, I still owe you." She said, moving her resting head to the left, where he was sitting.

He smiled. She was really sweet like that, in that position. It made him want to get closer and let her rest on his chest. He didn't think that in a boyfriend/girlfriend way but rather in a brother/sister way. Julie was like his little sister. She was fragile, in need of protection.

He focused his attention back on the game. There was only one quarter left. His football player instincts came back immediately as soon as something on the field was wrong. He raised his hands in frustration, clapped, and yelled, all to Julie's amazement. He was really into it a 100%. When the game finished with his team winning, he was glowing.

Something in his way of enjoying every part of the game reminded Julie of a kid. He looked so innocent, cheering and criticizing out loud. For a moment, he wasn't the tough Riggins anymore. It made her smile.

* * *

When Julie announced dinner was ready, they both lay the table and started eating in silence. Even though they'd spent very little time together, silence was not a problem between them. She knew Tim was not the talkative kind and he knew Julie didn't mind remaining silent.

The chicken was good, the best he'd ever tasted. He was amazed she could make it this tasteful when he thought the only solution was to throw it.

When he finished eating, he put a hand on his belly, illustrating the fact he was stuffed. "I'm full."

"Was it ok?"

"Better, it was, how do you say that? Oh, yeah _exquisite."_ He said, imitating a snob's voice with smile on his face.

"Thanks." She answered shyly.

"I think I won't be able to move for a while."

"Yeah, well you'll have to. They'll come soon and if mom sees the kitchen like that, we're both dead."

"Right. Guess we gotta clean it."

"Yep." She said but kept sitting. The truth is, she didn't want to get up either. The only thing she'd want to do is sleep.

They stood up eventually and headed towards the kitchen. They were discouraged when they saw all the work that had to be done.

"I can do the dishes." He told her.

"Ok. I'll dry them and then we can clean up the mess" She replied.

Doing the dishes was all about team work. He washed, handed them to an already prepared Julie who would dry them up in no time. She was working faster than him, like a machine, programmed and precise.

"So, things with you and Matt, how did that go?" He asked quietly. He couldn't fool himself any longer. He was dying to know all day. He knew there was a possibility she wouldn't answer but he had to try.

"Not so good."

Before he could tell her they didn't need to talk about it after all, if she didn't want to, she said: "We're done. I don't think there's nothing to be fixed anymore."

"Yeah break-ups suck. I'm sorry."He was sincere. She deserved to be happy, he thought.

"It's ok. How did _you_ deal with it? With Tyra and then with Lyla?" She was curious to know. If she had to share her feelings, no reason for him not to do the same thing.

"Tyra and I, we were a mess. We spent our days fighting so the break-up was the best solution…Me and Lyla, well, there was never a me and Lyla, so nothing to be broken up." He said with a sad voice. His lack of relationship with Lyla had obviously affected him a lot.

"Sorry, I've always thought you two were like.."

"Yeah, me too but Lyla is too good for me, I guess. It would never have worked. Can you picture us? The beauty and the biest." He chuckled but his voice was bitter. Julie never thought that he was so sensitive. She felt the need to comfort him back.

"If you ask me, you're too good for her. I mean, you can cook, you know how to take care of babies and let's not forget you're a life savior."

He thought what she said was really sweet even though she was mocking him in a way. Julie Taylor had a way to make him smile. He couldn't resist it. A wide banana smile spread on his face: "Yeah, I guess I'm the ideal man"

"Oh, I forgot to mention your modesty." She chuckled

"Ok. You just ruined the charm of it."

"Sorry…" She smiled back.

When the dishes were done, they started cleaning the mess that was all around them. Everything was filthy and yellow, because of the curry. Julie was focused on the stains, willing to finish as soon as possible while Tim was rubbing without conviction, as quickly as a turtle.

"I've finished" Julie said, relieved. Minutes after, Tim was done, too. The kitchen was shiny again.

* * *

They both went to the living room again. They were on the couch, as usual. Julie took a lying position, with her feet in the middle of the couch while Tim had comfortably raised his legs on the table. The TV was still on, showing some reality TV crap .

The voice coming from the TV was lulling Julie who fell asleep a few minutes later. In order to be more comfortable, she stretched her legs until they were lying in Tim's laps who welcomed them with a smile on his face.

Instead of focusing on the show, he was now watching her sleep. She was like an angel, everything about her was innocence and purity. She had both of her hands under her cheek which only accentuated the sweet vision that was in front of him. She seemed peaceful as if she were having the greatest of dreams. She moved casually, spinning from one side to another, her feet still in his lap.

She must have been very tired, as even the phone that rang a few minutes later didn't wake her up. It was Tami, announcing they were coming late; Tim and Julie shouldn't wait for them as there was school tomorrow. Tim spoke quietly, agreeing with everything Mrs. Taylor said before returning to his main occupation; sleeping Julie.

While she was asleep, he was touching her feet, sliding his fingers from toes to heels. The only reaction she gave was a sleepy sigh, before going back to her dreams.

Tim thought about the situation he was in. He had never spent so much time with a girl without any sexual involvement. But then again, Julie was not like other girls. She was innocent and sweet and Coach's daughter, too. He also knew there was something torn in her, otherwise she wouldn't be sad half the time and he wouldn't have found her crying in her room.

Her face was still a little red and it made him wonder how someone could hurt her. He also regretted thinking she was a shallow little brat. The truth is, now that he knew her a little better, Julie was a nice, sweet, funny girl he enjoyed spending time with. She was like a ray of light; she made him laugh. The only problem with her was her mood swings. She was obviously unhappy. Something or someone had hurt her; she was like broken inside.

Thinking about that, he promised himself he'd be like a brother for her. He would protect her and be there if she needed a shoulder to cry.

_Not for a second had Tim Riggins thought he'd fall in love with Julie Taylor. He couldn't guess he would be mad about her, breathing __**for**__ her every second of the day. He would never have thought the girl lying next to him would become his addiction, either. But let's not get ahead of ourselves..._

For the moment being, Julie was still sleeping while Tim was trying to focus on the TV. The thing is, he was starting to get tired, too. He needed to catch up on the non sleeping time from the previous night. Since he didn't want to wake her up, he gathered his strength, stood up and carried her carefully, to her room.

She wasn't heavy so he could take his time. Her fingers touching his neck, her head on his shoulder and the warmth of her body against him sent electricity through his entire body. His skin and mind were both responding to her breath against his neck; his breathing became faster as his hands were suddenly sweaty.

When they were in her room, he put her in her bed and covered her with a blanker, sighing at her angelical face. As he was about to leave, she put a hand on his forearm, stopping him from going any further. She was now in a sitting position. Her face was coming closer to his until they were a breath away, looking at each other with intensity.

The still sleepy Julie came even closer, making his Adam's apple move. She put her lips on his cheek and said with the sweetest sound he'd ever heard: "Thank you, Tim. For Everything" Then, she gave him a smile and went back to Orpheus.

Before he could answer anything, she was sleeping again. "Good night Julie" He whispered kissing her hand and headed towards his room.

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